Study Makes Gastric Bypass and Gastric Sleeve Procedures Accessible to Patients with a Body Mass Index Lower than the Current Threshold to Qualify for Surgery

New Jersey Bariatric Center is accepting new participants in a weight loss surgery study that makes bariatric surgery accessible to patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30-35, lower than the current threshold to qualify for surgery.

According to Ajay Goyal (New Jersey Bariatric Center surgical director and principal investigator),the study, which is the only of its kind in New Jersey, will add to the growing body of evidence that shows gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy are effective in reducing obesity related illnesses in patients suffering from moderate obesity.

Current bariatric surgical guidelines, which were established in 1991, restrict gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy procedures to patients with a BMI over 40 or a BMI over 35 with obesity-related illnesses.

The study will provide an updated perspective on the health benefits of bariatric surgery and is vital to reaching more patients with the potential to alleviate obesity-related chronic conditions, Dr. Goyal explained.

Numerous studies have proven the safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery in patients with class 1 obesity, including the landmark 2012 STAMPEDE trial, which found the gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy in patients with a BMI of 27 to be effective in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Based largely on this evidence in 2016, 45 international professional organizations, including the American Diabetes Association, issued guidelines urging that bariatric surgery be recommended or considered as a treatment option for some categories of people with diabetes, including those who are mildly obese and fail to respond to conventional treatment.